InSight, MarCO-A, MarCO-B - Atlas V 401 - Vandenberg SLC-3E - 05.05.2018 - 11:05 UTC

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 8 мин. назад

The engineering testbed for ⁦@NASAInSight⁩ at JPL.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 13:19 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

FEATURE ARTICLE:

NASA, Mars fleet ready for daring, challenging InSight landing on Red Planet

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/11/nasa-mars-fleet-insight-landing-red-planet/ ...

- By Chris Gebhardt (@ChrisG_NSF)

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https://ria.ru/science/20181126/1533480016.html

Зонд НАСА InSight в понедельник прибудет на Марс
00:36 26.11.2018


© Фото : JPL/NASA

ВАШИНГТОН, 26 ноя – РИА Новости. Стартовавший в мае с Земли американский исследовательский зонд InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) совершит посадку на Марс в понедельник, чтобы бурить поверхность и "слушать пульс" Огненной планеты, НАСА планирует вести прямую трансляцию события.

Главная задача апппарата InSight — установка на Марсе сейсмографа (SEIS, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) для измерения движений внутренних пород и ударов метеоритов. В НАСА отмечают, что инструмент SEIS станет первым за последние 40 лет сейсмографом, который как стетоскоп врача будет слушать сердцебиение Марса. В последний раз сейсмограф был на планете в ходе программы марсианских станций "Викинг", запущенных в середине 1970-х годов.
Зонд InSight, совместный проект НАСА и Европейского космического агентства, также будет вести бурение Марса и другие эксперименты, которые позволят узнать больше о его формировании и развитии. В НАСА надеются, что рассчитанная на два года миссия по изучению внутренних слоев Марса позволит больше узнать о строении и формировании Красной планеты.

По расчетам создателей, аппарат должен сесть на поверхность Марса в районе нагорья Элизий (Elysium Planitia) в автоматическом режиме. Как анонсируют в НАСА, весь процесс должен занять "меньше времени, чем понадобится землянам, чтобы сварить яйцо в крутую". Посадка начнется в 14.40 по времени восточного побережья США (22.40 мск) в понедельник, когда зонд отделится от несущего его аппарата, еще через семь минут (в 22.47 мск) он войдет в атмосферу Марса, а в 22.51 мск выпустит тормозящий его при посадке парашют. Зонд, надеются создатели, коснется Огненной планеты в 22.54 мск.

Первый сигнал на Землю, который будет свидетельствовать о том, что InSight успешно "пережил" встречу с марсианской поверхностью, ожидается в 23.01 мск. В НАСА рассчитывают, что к вечеру создатели получат подтверждение об успешном развертывании солнечных батарей зонда, а в течение первых суток аппарат отправит на Землю первый снимок Марса.

Следить за ходом посадки зонда специалисты будут как с помощью сигналов с уже работающих на орбите Марса аппаратов, так и благодаря летящим вслед за ним паре кубсатов MarCO. Близнецы, которые созданы специально для передачи данных об InSight по мере его сближения и посадки на Марс, станут первыми мини-спутниками, так называемыми кубсатами, свершивший полет на столь удаленное от Земли расстояние.

Помимо специалистов миссии следить за посадкой запущенного с Земли в начале мая зонда смогут все желающие. Для этого НАСА организует прямую трансляцию из центра управления полетов в лаборатории реактивного движения в Калифорнии, увидеть ее можно будет в интернете, а также на 80 площадках в США и за их пределами. Трансляцию НАСА посадки зонда, в частности, планируют вывести на экран на Таймс-сквер в Нью-Йорке.

Помимо научных инструментов аппарат доставит на Марс микрочипы с именами более 2,4 миллиона жителей Земли, в том числе более 60 тысяч россиян. Имена принявших участие в марсианской акции НАСА отпечатаны на силиконовом микрочипе.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 14:27 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

During a tour of the mission control center at JPL we learned the TCM-6 maneuver had just been performed, but it'll be a couple hours until we know the updated InSight trajectory.




14:40 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

Also, you'll either be relieved or concerned, depending on your NFL fandom, that Tom Brady is working mission ops for InSight.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 14:47 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

Rest assured that the tradition (not superstition, JPLers assure us) of peanuts will continue for InSight.

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https://www.interfax.ru/world/639367

00:34, 26 ноября 2018
Американский космический аппарат InSight совершит посадку на Марсе

Москва. 26 ноября. INTERFAX.RU - На Красной планете в понедельник вечером по московскому времени совершит посадку уникальный американский космический корабль InSight, который позволит заглянуть внутрь Марса и дать ответы на вопросы о его современной тектонической активности и строении, сообщает Национальное управление по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (НАСА).

По данным агентства, до 2018 года к Марсу было запущено свыше двух десятков различных аппаратов, но все они изучали лишь внешнюю сторону планеты. Аппарат InSight позволит "заглянуть вовнутрь" Марса. Этот космический аппарат, запущенный к Марсу 5 мая ракетой-носителем Atlas V с пусковой площадки на авиабазе ВВС США Ванденберг в штате Калифорния, предназначен для изучения внутреннего устройства Марса - его коры, мантии и ядра.

InSight оснащен сейсмометром SEIS, который должен определить уровень сейсмической активности и особенности внутреннего строения Марса, а также зондом для измерения теплового потока под поверхностью планеты (HP3). Оба прибора будут развернуты с помощью спускаемой роботизированной руки и установлены на поверхности планеты. При этом будет пробурена 5-метровая скважина, которая должна будет промерить уровень тепла внутри Марса.

Помимо этого на американском космическом аппарате также имеется микрочип, на котором записаны имена 2,4 млн человек, принявших участие в акции "Отправь свое имя на Марс".

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/5833074

26 НОЯ, 01:23
NASA проведет небольшую коррекцию траектории станции InSight перед ее посадкой на Марс

Речь идет всего лишь о нескольких сантиметрах

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 26 ноября. /ТАСС/. Национальное управление по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства США (NASA) проведет небольшую коррекцию траектории полета автоматической межпланетной станции Mars InSight перед ее посадкой на поверхность Марса. Об этом сообщил в воскресенье на пресс-конференции помощник директора NASA по научным исследованиям Томас Зурбукен.

Согласно расчетам, InSight достигнет поверхности Марса в понедельник, 26 ноября, в 15:00 по времени Восточного побережья США (23:00 мск). Ранее в NASA не исключали, что его специалистам придется в удаленном режиме произвести небольшую коррекцию траектории движения станции, так как в противном случае InSight может приземлиться на участок поверхности, который не слишком подходит для мягкой и безопасной посадки.

Зурбукен подтвердил, что коррекция будет произведена. "В течение второй половины дня [в воскресенье по местному времени] мы проведем небольшой маневр с одноразовым включением двигателей", - отметил он. По словам Зурбукена, траекторию станции предстоит скорректировать всего лишь на несколько сантиметров. Таким образом, InSight, как ожидается, приземлится примерно в 18 км северо-восточнее того места, которое считается неудачным для приземления.

Процесс торможения аппарата весом 385 кг в марсианской атмосфере начнется на расстоянии около 125 км от поверхности планеты. Снижение в атмосфере займет около 6,5 минуты. На расстоянии 12 км от поверхности раскроется парашют диаметром около 11,9 м. За 15 секунд до касания аппарат выпустит опоры и опустится на поверхность при скорости около 8 км/ч.

Сразу после посадки наступит 16-минутная пауза с тем, чтобы пыль в районе приземления на нагорье Элизий улеглась, а затем начнется процесс раскрытия панелей солнечных батарей, который будет также продолжаться 16 минут. Связь с посадочным модулем будет осуществляться как через систему дальней космической связи, так и через два микроспутника Mars Cube One. Эти микроспутники весом 13,6 кг каждый снабжены восемью микродвигателями, приемной и передающей антеннами и способны передать информацию на Землю с трехчасовой задержкой.

Межпланетный космический аппарат Mars InSight с посадочным модулем был выведен на траекторию полета к Марсу 5 мая ракетой-носителем Atlas V, стартовавшей с базы ВВС США Ванденберг в штате Калифорния.

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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasas-insight-is-one-day-away-from-mars

Nov. 25, 2018

NASA's InSight Is One Day Away from Mars


The InSight spacecraft approaches Mars in this artist's concept.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption

The fourth paragraph has been upd ated with information about the trajectory correction maneuver conducted by the mission team on the afternoon of Nov. 25.

In just over 24 hours, NASA's InSight spacecraft will complete its seven-month journey to Mars. It will have cruised 301,223,981 miles (484,773,006 km) at a top speed of 6,200 mph (10,000 kph).

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which leads the mission, are preparing for the spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere, descend with a parachute and retrorockets, and touch down tomorrow at around noon PST (3 p.m. EST). InSight — which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — will be the first mission to study the deep interior of Mars.

"We've studied Mars from orbit and from the surface since 1965, learning about its weather, atmosphere, geology and surface chemistry," said Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Now we finally will explore inside Mars and deepen our understanding of our terrestrial neighbor as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system."

Before InSight enters the Martian atmosphere, there are a few final preparations to make. At 1:47 PST (4:47 EST) engineers successfully conducted a last trajectory correction maneuver to steer the spacecraft within a few kilometers of its targeted entry point over Mars. About two hours before hitting the atmosphere, the entry, descent and landing (EDL) team might also upload some final tweaks to the algorithm that guides the spacecraft safely to the surface.

These will be the last commands issued to InSight before it robotically guides itself the rest of the way. The EDL team worked for months beforehand to pre-program every stage of InSight's landing, making adjustments based on weather reports from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

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"While most of the country was enjoying Thanksgiving with their family and friends, the InSight team was busy making the final preparations for Monday's landing," said Tom Hoffman of JPL, InSight's project manager. "Landing on Mars is difficult and takes a lot of personal sacrifices, such as missing the traditional Thanksgiving, but making InSight successful is well worth the extraordinary effort."


NASA's twin MarCO spacecraft are scheduled to make a flyby of Mars on Nov. 26. On Nov. 24, a wide-angle camera on MarCO-B took this picture of the Red Planet, which appears as small, grey dot in the lower left quadrant of the image.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full image and caption

Engineers will be huddled with scientists at JPL on Nov. 26, watching with nervous anticipation for signals that InSight successfully touched down.

"It's taken more than a decade to bring InSight from a concept to a spacecraft approaching Mars — and even longer since I was first inspired to try to undertake this kind of mission," said Bruce Banerdt of JPL, InSight's principal investigator. "But even after landing, we'll need to be patient for the science to begin."

It will take two to three months for InSight's robotic arm to se t the mission's instruments on the surface. During that time, engineers will monitor the environment and photograph the terrain in front of the lander.

Back at JPL, the surface operations team will practice setting down the instruments. They'll use a working replica of InSight in an indoor "Mars sandbox," which will be sculpted to match the mission's actual landing site on Mars. The team will check to make sure the instruments can be deployed safely, even if there are rocks nearby or InSight lands at an angle.

Once the final position of each instrument is decided, it will take several weeks to carefully lift each one and calibrate their measurements. Then the science really gets underway.

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About InSight

JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.

A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES and IPGP provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.

For the latest updates and more information about how to watch InSight landing, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/insighttoolkit

For more information about InSight, visit:

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/

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Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

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2018-274

Last Updated: Nov. 26, 2018
Editor: Tony Greicius

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 17:17 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

Insight now 209,000 km from Mars. 18 hours to touchdown


19:08 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

Insight's range to Mars now 190,000 km. Areocentric velocity now 3.05 km/s - still only feeling Martian gravity a little bit, going at 5 times local escape velocity

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 22:34 - 25 нояб. 2018 г.

Last update for tonight: Insight range to Martian surface 150,000 km. 13 hours to touchdown.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 49 мин. назад

I just spotted that INSIGHT and MARCO-B pass only 2000 km from the Martian moon Phobos at 1910 and 1913 UTC. That's really close! (MARCO-A is a little further at 4300 km closest approach).

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Миссия Mars:InSight совершит посадку на Красной планете уже 26 ноября. Давайте вспомним, как происходила погдотовка к запуску аппарата и разберёмся, как пройдёт его посадка.


,,,,,,
трансляция

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NASA JPL‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAJPL 4:22 - 26 нояб. 2018 г.

Land more than a deal this #CyberMonday. Land on Mars. See inside mission control as signals from @NASAInSight's #MarsLanding arrive. Live coverage begins at 11am PT (2 pm ET, 1900 UTC). http://NASA.gov/live 

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/26/insight-tweaks-trajectory-to-home-in-on-mars-landing-site/

InSight tweaks trajectory to home in on Mars landing site
November 26, 2018 | Stephen Clark


Artist's concept of the InSight spacecraft in its interplanetary cruise configuration. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On the eve of its blazing entry into the Martian atmosphere, NASA's InSight spacecraft briefly pulsed its control jets Sunday to target a safe, flat landing zone near the planet's equator — the last in a series of trajectory correction maneuvers since the mission's launch in May.

Still attached to its cruise stage, which ferried the lander fr om Earth to Mars, InSight fired its thrusters at 4:47 p.m. EST (1:47 p.m. PST; 2147 GMT) Sunday to steer the spacecraft closer to an ideal landing site in Elysium Planitia, a broad, flat equatorial plain sel ected by mission managers because of its relative safety.

InSight's landing zone is free of large boulders, craters, and other topographic hazards, according to surveys based on high-resolution imagery fr om the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a satellite in orbit around Mars.

Officials ordered the trajectory correction maneuver in a meeting Sunday morning after an assessment of InSight's course toward Mars. The previous course correction Nov. 18 moved InSight's landing ellipse — a football-shaped area in which the spacecraft could conceivably touch down — to the mission's planned landing spot.

But the ellipse did not have the landing target dead-center, and it included some areas with rougher terrain, where a landing might be more risky, according to Tom Hoffman, InSight's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

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Tom Hoffman, InSight's project manager, motions to a region officials hope the lander will avoid due to rougher terrain. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

In a press conference Sunday, Hoffman said InSight's final course correction was expected to be "just a very small burn, it's only a few centimeters per second."

"It's almost a breath of air out of your mouth," he said. "We hope that we're going to move about 11 miles (17 kilometers) from where we are today to that red X."

Mission planners set aside propellant and time for InSight to conduct the trajectory correction maneuver Sunday, but officials were not sure it would be required until a meeting Sunday morning, according to Hoffman.

"If we go farther northwest than wh ere we're currently showing, we get into a region that we're not as comfortable landing in, which is the reason we had a very exciting ... 6 o'clock meeting this morning," Hoffman said.

"We listened to all the different inputs, and the final decision was to go ahead and do the TCM (trajectory correction maneuver), let's move ourselves back to that red X and be exactly wh ere we really want to land, from both a safety standpoint, as well as making sure that we have the right location for our science instruments."

Some InSight officials have joked that Elysium Planitia is the biggest parking lot on Mars, notable for its expanse and featureless terrain, not for the rugged geology often found at other Mars landing sites.

"Where we're going to land is a place called Elysium Planitia, which very roughly translated means 'heavenly plain," Hoffman told reporters Monday. "And, indeed, it is is a very heavenly plain, and it is very plain, but it is actually perfect. It's safe. It's great, not only to land, it's a great place to do the science that we want to do."

A final opportunity to uplink commands to InSight is available to ground controllers around two hours before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere at 2:47 p.m. EST (1947 GMT) Monday. Engineers may elect to send up minor adjustments to the algorithm that will guide InSight through the atmosphere to its landing site.

The lander will jettison its cruise stage, which ferried InSight from Earth to Mars following the mission's May 5 launch aboard an Atlas 5 rocket, a few minutes before slamming into the outermost layers of the Martian atmosphere. The cruise module will burn up during its plunge toward Mars.

InSight's heat shield will take the brunt of the force to slow InSight from its initial entry velocity of 12,300 mph (5.5 kilometers per second). Cocooned in a flying saucer-shaped shell, the lander will slow down using aerodynamic friction, building up temperatures on the outer skin of the craft's heat shield as high as 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius).


Artist's illustration of the InSight spacecraft descending under parachute. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A supersonic parachute will then unfurl — shot out of the top of the entry vehicle like a mortar shell — at a velocity of around 861 mph (385 meters per second), and at an altitude of approximately 36,400 feet (11,100 meters) above ground level.

Fifteen seconds later, InSight will release its heat shield and extend its three landing legs, each fitted with a trigger sensor to detect touchdown.

But InSight's parachute is not enough to slow the spacecraft enough for a soft landing. The Martian atmosphere — less than one percent the thickness of Earth's — is far too thin to allow landers to safely reach the surface using parachutes alone.

InSight will next activate a landing radar to measure the spacecraft's altitude and descent rate, and after about two minutes under the parachute, the probe will release from its backshell at a speed of around 134 mph (60 meters per second) and an altitude of approximately 3,600 feet (1,100 meters).

One second after backshell separation, the lander will begin firing 12 braking rockets to slow its descent velocity and null out horizontal movements. The spacecraft will also rotate to ensure it is in the correct orientation for touchdown, with its solar arrays extending east and west from the deck, and the robotic arm's work area on the south side of the lander.

Around 164 feet (50 meters) above the surface, InSight will transition to a constant velocity mode. Around 15 seconds later, InSight will reach the surface at a velocity of around 5 mph (2.24 meters per second), and immediately switch off its liquid-fueled thrusters.

Once on the surface, InSight will unfurl two fan-like solar arrays to begin generating power. Cameras on the stationary lander, built by Lockheed Martin, will survey its surroundings before engineers beam up commands for InSight to use its robotic arm to place a pair of science instruments on the nearby surface.

One of the sensors is a French-built seismometer encased in a vacuum enclosure and a wind shield. It will detect tremors — marsquakes — caused by geologic activity deep inside the Martian crust.

Another instrument, developed in Germany, will hammer up to 16 feet (5 meters) below the Martian surface and measure the heat coming from the planet's interior.

The instrument deployments could take two or three months to complete as scientists and engineers on Earth methodically plan the sequence based on the conditions at InSight's unexplored landing site.

"It's taken more than a decade to bring InSight fr om a concept to a spacecraft approaching Mars — and even longer since I was first inspired to try to undertake this kind of mission," said Bruce Banerdt of JPL, InSight's principal investigator. "But even after landing, we'll need to be patient for the science to begin."

The lander will stand around three feet (90 centimeters) tall on the Martian surface, with some uncertainty because InSight's legs could compress into the soil after touchdown. With its solar panels unfolded, the lander will span around 19.7 feet (6 meters) wide.

Data collected by InSight should reveal information about Mars's internal structure, including the size and make-up of its core. Scientists hope InSight's discoveries will tell them about how rocky planets like Mars and Earth formed.

Mars has a geologic record dating back billions of years, a record that has been largely erased on Earth by plate tectonics and vigorous geologic activity that refreshes the crust.

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 2 мин. назад

Under 2hrs now to the start of #InSight's Entry, Descent, and Landing (#EDL) sequence. Craft is 14,000 miles from Mars. #Mars #MarsLanding #NASA

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/26/insight-mission-status-center/

Live coverage: InSight probe set to land on Mars today
November 26, 2018 | Stephen Clark

11/26/2018 21:11 Stephen Clark

NASA's InSight lander will fly from the outer edge of the Martian atmosphere at a speed of more than 12,000 mph to a controlled descent rate of 5 mph just above the red planet's surface in less than seven minutes.



The robotic science probe will require the perfect execution of a carefully-choreographed, pre-programmed sequence relying on a heat shield, a supersonic parachute, pyrotechnics, a radar, and 12 fast-pulsing braking rockets to safely reach the surface.

NASA has dubbed the entry, descent and landing the "seven minutes of terror."

"Landing on Mars is never a foregone conclusion, and less than half the times we've tried to either get into orbit or land on Mars, we have not been successful," said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/26/insights-entry-descent-and-landing-timeline/

InSight's entry, descent and landing timeline
November 26, 2018 | Stephen Clark


Artist's concept of the InSight spacecraft streaking into the Martian atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's InSight lander will fly from the outer edge of the Martian atmosphere at a speed of more than 12,000 mph to a controlled descent rate of 5 mph just above the red planet's surface in less than seven minutes.

The robotic science probe will require the perfect execution of a carefully-choreographed, pre-programmed sequence relying on a heat shield, a supersonic parachute, pyrotechnics, a radar, and 12 fast-pulsing braking rockets to safely reach the surface.

NASA has dubbed the entry, descent and landing the "seven minutes of terror."

"Landing on Mars is never a foregone conclusion, and less than half the times we've tried to either get into orbit or land on Mars, we have not been successful," said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

InSight is reusing much of the landing design pioneered by the Phoenix mission, which landed on Mars's northern polar plains in May 2008. But here are some of the key differences from Phoenix, according to a NASA press kit:

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• InSight will have more mass entering the atmosphere — about 1,340 pounds (608 kilograms) vs. 1,263 pounds (573 kilograms).
• InSight will land at an elevation about 4,900 feet (1.5 kilometers) higher than Phoenix did, so it will have less atmosphere to use for deceleration.
• InSight will land during a Martian season (early winter in the northern hemisphere) when dust storms have grown to global proportions in some prior Martian years.
  

In order to address some of the differences, InSight uses a thicker heat shield capable of withstanding "sandblasting" by a Martian dust storm, and its parachute will open at a higher speed than Phoenix's chute. The parachute suspension lines on InSight also use stronger materials, according to NASA.

InSight's flying saucer-shaped entry vehicle measures around 8.7 feet (2.64 meters) in diameter, and its heat shield is made of an ablative material composed primarily of crushed cork, which will burn away during the scorching hypersonic passage through the Martian atmosphere.

Landing is scheduled for 2:54 p.m. EST (11:54 a.m. PST; 1954 GMT) Monday, a time that includes an 8.1-minute delay for radio signals to travel from Mars to Earth.

The lander will transmit a UHF signal throughout the entry, descent and landing to NASA's MarCO CubeSats, which accompanied InSight on its launch to Mars in May. If they work, the twin MarCO spacecraft, each about the size of a briefcase, will relay the signal back to Earth in X-band as they zip past Mars on a flyby trajectory.

But the CubeSats are an experimental part of the mission, and they don't have to work for InSight to successfully land on Mars. The primary way engineers plan to receive data from InSight is through the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a satellite flying around Mars, which will listen for the lander's signals during its descent.

MRO is unable to simultaneously listen for InSight's signal and transmit to Earth, so the data will be stored aboard the satellite and replayed back to the ground later Monday.

In addition to the spacecraft at Mars listening for InSight, the two huge radio telescopes in West Virginia and Germany will listen for the lander's beacon transmitted directly to Earth. Engineers hope to measure the Doppler shift in that signal to discern whether InSight has deployed its parachute, and jettisoned its heat shield.

After landing, InSight will send out two signals confirming it has reached the surface: a "tone beacon" through its UHF antenna and a "beep" through its X-band antenna.

"This X-band 'beep' is expected to turn on about seven minutes after landing, and will be a clear indicator that InSight is functional on the surface," officials wrote in the press kit for InSight's landing.


This chart illustrates the major events during InSight's entry, descent and landing. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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• 13 minutes, 35 seconds before landing: InSight jettisons its cruise stage before encountering the Martian atmosphere. The cruise stage provided power to the spacecraft during the more than six-month, 301-million-mile (484-million-kilometer) journey to Earth. The cruise stage will burn up in the Martian atmosphere, and InSight will rely on internal battery power until it can deploy its solar panels after touchdown.
• 13 minutes, 5 seconds before landing: InSight begins a turn using small control thrusters to the correct orientation for entry into the Martian atmosphere, with its heat shield facing in the direction of travel.
• 6 minutes, 35 seconds before landing: InSight encounters the first traces of the upper Martian atmosphere at a speed of 12,300 mph (5.5 kilometers) per second and an altitude of 77 miles (124 kilometers).
• 5 minutes, 5 seconds before landing: InSight reaches the point of peak heating during entry, with temperatures on the heat shield reaching 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius).
• 4 minutes, 50 seconds before landing: InSight reaches the point of maximum deceleration, around 7.6 g, as aerodynamic friction slows the spacecraft.
• 2 minutes, 57 seconds before landing: InSight's on-board computer deploys its 39-foot-diameter (11.8-meter) supersonic parachute once predetermined velocity and deceleration conditions are met.  The chute will deploy at an estimated speed of 861 mph (385 meters per second), and at an altitude of approximately 36,400 feet (11,100 meters) above ground level. The anticipated load on the parachute at deployment is about 12,500 pounds of force (55,600 newtons).
• 2 minutes, 47 seconds before landing: InSight's landing radar is activated to begin warming up, and an auxiliary battery is switched on to supplement the lander's primary battery during the upcoming key landing events.
• 2 minutes, 42 seconds before landing: InSight jettisons its heat shield, which falls to a crash landing on the Martian surface.
• 2 minutes, 32 seconds before landing: Pyrotechnic actuators extend InSight's three landing legs and lock them into position for touchdown.
• 1 minute before landing: InSight's radar begins sensing the Martian surface at an altitude of around 7,900 feet (2,400 meters), feeding distance and descent rate data to the lander's guidance system.
• 45 seconds before landing: InSight releases from its backshell at a speed of around 134 mph (60 meters per second) and an altitude of approximately 3,600 feet (1,100 meters). NASA expects a brief pause in communication from InSight at this time as data transmission shifts from the wrap-around antenna on the backshell to a helical UHF transmitter on the lander.
• 44 seconds before landing: One second after backshell separation, the lander begins firing 12 braking rockets, pulsing on and off 10 times per second, to slow its descent velocity and null out horizontal movements. The spacecraft also rotates to ensure it is in the correct orientation for touchdown, with its solar arrays extending east and west from the deck, and the robotic arm's work area on the south side of the lander.
• 15 seconds before landing: Around 164 feet (50 meters) above the surface, InSight transitions to a constant velocity mode.
• Landing: InSight reaches the surface at a velocity of around 5 mph (2.24 meters per second), and immediately switches off its liquid-fueled thrusters.
• 16 minutes after landing: After waiting for dust to settle at the landing site, InSight's two solar arrays begin unfurling in a pre-programmed sequence. The fan-like panels take about 16 minutes to deploy, with the activity concluding approximately 32 minutes after touchdown. Confirmation of solar array deployment will be relayed by the Mars Odyssey orbiter several hours after landing.
  

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